Compact Disc Combines Technology and Breast Health Education Available to All Women Facing Breast Reconstruction

To address patients' most pressing and personal questions about breast reconstruction, plastic surgeons at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have developed a first-of-its-kind interactive compact disc.

Designed by Michael Miller, M.D., associate professor in M.D. Anderson's department of plastic surgery, with support from The University of Texas Television, the CD-ROM, titled "Breast Reconstruction: What You Need to Know," was developed to communicate the latest reconstruction techniques available.

"A very important part of the breast cancer coping and recovery process is empowering women with the best-available information so they can select a reconstruction option that fits their lifestyle and helps them achieve their personal goals. My colleagues and I were struck by the shortage of good information available to women about breast reconstruction. Most of the lay educational information available is about diagnosis and treatment. There is surprisingly little information about breast reconstruction," says Miller.

The CD-ROM features Miller and his colleagues explaining via streaming video the variety of reconstruction options. Reconstruction information is also available in text and chart form so women may "print" the information to later review with their doctors. Coupled with personal conversations from M.D. Anderson faculty, the CD-ROM features 3-D animation and computer graphics of each procedure's results, so that women watching the CD-ROM feel as if they are having a personal medical consultation, says Miller.

"We felt strongly that our message regarding state-of-the-art breast reconstruction be delivered using the latest in media technology, yet in a very personal and user-friendly way," he says.

To personalize the experience even further, the CD-ROM highlights interviews with 15 breast cancer survivors - all current and former M.D. Anderson patients who chose different breast reconstruction techniques. Miller feels it is vital that women facing breast cancer and numerous reconstruction choices hear from other women who have recently faced similar challenges.

"We want women who are considering one of the different types of reconstruction to learn from women who opted to have the same procedure," says Miller. "From our experience in the clinic, we know that patients appreciate other women talking about their own experience. The CD-ROM features women who have opted for different breast reconstruction techniques and are diverse in age and race, and shows them living their lives - running, swimming, working, caring for their families. It is important that we let patients know that you can get through cancer and all these women are proof."

Miller says breast reconstruction demographics vary across the country. Of the 350 breast cancer patients at M.D. Anderson who undergo mastectomies each year, 80 percent also undergo breast reconstruction at the same time. Nationwide, he says, reconstruction rates range as low as 8 percent and only 15 percent of these women have reconstruction immediately following their mastectomy.

Breast reconstruction is performed on patients of all ages, Miller says. Older women are significantly less likely to want reconstruction, while younger patients are often more willing to undergo more extensive procedures for aesthetic purposes.

Every new patient who comes to M.D. Anderson's Nellie B. Connally Breast Center for a consultation during the next year - more than 2,000 women says Dr. Miller - will receive a complimentary copy of "Breast Reconstruction: What You Need to Know."

The CD-ROM is also available to the general public for $10, plus $3 shipping and handling, and can be purchased by calling (713) 794-1247. It will soon be available for purchase at www.mdanderson.org/breastreconstruction. All funds from the CD's sale will go directly toward furthering the reach of the CD-ROM, including Spanish and Arabic translations.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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